Daryl basked under warm sunshine on a tropical island while consciously streaming his novel.

He sipped iced tea …

"Oh damn!"

He placed his wired neural headset down, then exited the isolation booth in his studio apartment.

He shivered, glancing at the winter storm outside.

His upstairs neighbor's loud music vibrated the ceiling and walls.

"Come on ..." Daryl sat on the toilet, hurried up, washed his hands, reentered the booth, and put his headset back on.

"It's too much!" He scanned The Grid's sales for a wireless version. "Quadruple the price? Fine, whatever, I can't stand being disconnected anymore."